Brown Jury To Decide Who Told Truth

A Warren County jury of seven women and five men will begin deliberation in the murder trial of Pen Argyl resident Bobby Lee Brown this morning.

After five hours and forty minutes of attorneys' summations and the judge's explanation of the seventeen charges against Brown, plus lesser included charges, the capital murder trial was turned over to the jury. Deliberations will begin at 9 a.m.

Brown, 25, is charged with two counts of capital murder, two counts of first degree murder, two counts of felony murder, two counts of first degree robbery during which a murder was committed and two counts of first degree robbery with a deadly weapon. In addition, there are four weapons charges and one count of conspiracy.

The charges stem from the Oct. 10, 1990 robbery and murders of Oxford resident Alice Skov, 82, and her brother John Bell, 64. Defense attorney Robert Obler told jurors, "You're going to see garbage and a whole lot of holes when you look the evidence."

Noting that the state has the burden to prove Brown guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, Obler said, "Consider the lack of evidence when there is a hole that should have been filled. Always question everything."

Obler contended that Brown admitted to being at the murder scene but continually denied having committed the murders.

Referring to Brown's Oct. 13, 1990, video statement, he said, "There is no question, no argument, that in fact he was there in Oxford on the 10th day of October. One thing he never talked about was Coleen Alexander. He never mentioned Coleen.

"Listen to the tape when he talked to her parents. The pattern was set. He never mentioned her name," Obler continued.

"He was arrested and 48 hours later, he indicated he was not the person who did the murders and that he was not going to testify against Mr. (Robert) Lohman."

Obler told the jury that Brown's pattern never changed and that his purpose was to protect Alexander. "The die was cast on July 4, 1990," Obler continued.

Obler told the jury that Alexander was "changing stories as fast as the wind blows. This demon of darkness says she's helping Bobby. Think about it. Who was she helping? When confronted with the proposition that police had a witness, how did she react? Why was she worried? She asks were there any fingerprints on the scissors. Why was she worried?"

Obler pointed out that Alexander had also been charged with capital murder, but that after a plea bargain on July 2, 1992, she became a state's witness.

"She was no longer the mover and shaker of the crime. She was now Bobby Brown's love toy, and Bobby's word was law. Now she says she was there but did nothing!" Obler said.

Assistant Prosecutor John Laky told the jury there is plenty of evidence of Brown's guilt. He said some of the most damaging evidence comes from the letters Brown wrote to Alexander and the things he tried to get her to do.

"This case is all about Bobby Lee Brown and Coleen Alexander, and the way Bobby Lee Brown characterized them in a letter, as Bonnie and Clyde," Laky said.

"Bonnie (Parker) and Clyde (Barrow) had no regard for the law, and they did whatever they wanted. Coleen Alexander was characterized as a person who lied to police. Mr. Brown lied to police, too."

Laky said Brown's video statement "vividly described the death of John Bell. Mr. Brown said Uncle John fell against the door and that blood was pouring out of the hole in his face and mouth. Only an eyewitness could describe that!"

Laky pointed out that a cigarette butt found at the murder scene was the same brand that Brown smokes and that the saliva test matched Brown's A positive blood type.

Laky said that many of Brown's statements mentioned Alexander stealing money from her grandmother, from Skov, and other relatives. "Was he trying to save Coleen? He mentioned her name so many times about taking money. If Coleen had killed Alice Skov and John Bell, he would have told police right away," Laky contended.